V Lucky Seven was grounded off Miramar beach on July 16, 2017. I had warned Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) not to allow Captain of Ports (CoP) to anchor the grounded vessel to enter River Mandovi writing an office note to them. I had in writing, forewarned the pollution control authorities, that allowing CoP to tow the casino into River Mandovi would spell disaster as during the monsoon the sea is rough.
I had made visits to MPT harbour, on scientific field trips to monitor the oil pollution made by spillages from MV Qink, which was stranded unmanned at the MPT berth. Being the consultant at that period, I submitted a report which was placed before NGT, along with support from scientists from GSPCB. The report showed scientifically that Qink was periodically belching mineral oils and adversely affecting marine biodiversity as well as, threatening human safety and health of Goans. I had insisted that MPT furnish details of hazardous cargo entering Goan waters for berthing and servicing to GSPCB for its use in disaster management.
It is extremely unfortunate that in spite of my proactive recommendations to GSPCB, to monitor hazardous cargo entering Goa, GSPCB along with the CoP administration did nothing to strengthen our scientific submission. This was imperative because, GSPCB scientists could initiate remedial actions, only when disasters occur at sea and are well informed. The Goa government has been inviting disasters and placing Goans into severe health risk.
Goans know too well that River Princess challenged our society from June 6, 2000 to October, 2014 and crippled our tourism economy, altered sand morphology and adversely affected marine biodiversity due to regular oil spillages.
Today, disaster is in the making created by MPT and CoP, for allowing MT Nu-Shi Nalini to enter Goa. The ship, which was grounded off Kochi in June 2018, with several leakages, engine failure and fire was enough of grounds for MPT to refuse berthing the crippled ship in Goa. Again, the NGOs in Kerala worked hard to ensure that the deteriorated inflammable cargo was not offloaded in Kochi, as the Kerala govt was firm not to allow leakages to pollute the Kerala coast. The Swiss company for whom the naphtha was a consignment, knowing that the mineral oil was contaminated with oil degrading bacteria and unfit to industrial use, abandoned the consignment, and refused to pay for the costs.
The CoP of Goa, together with the obliging GSPCB and Goan politicians accepted the disabled ship to enter Goan waters. This was against the interest of the Goan people. Hence, after 3 months of berth shelter to the ship in despair, the MPT authorities dumped the crippled but chemically loaded vessel into high seas, to finally force cyclone Kyarr to push the ship, off the Marivel beach and threaten, Mandovi biodiversity and the people. The vapours of naphtha would have severe ill effects on the human body. The skin, eyes, throat, brain, respiratory and digestive track of living beings would be adversely affected.
It is time for the people of Goa to challenge and fight the lackadaisical approach of both Central and State governmental agencies who have placed Goan in a quandary, time and again. Come on Goans wake up to realities on the competence of all those in Goa governance.
Do we realise that in Goa we create disasters regularly and then spend crores of the tax payers’ money in disaster management?
It is a shame that we are poisoning our rivers, biomagnifying pollutants in our seas, rivers, fields and air too. We often ponder as to how cancers, kidney ailments, pancreatics, asthmas, respiratory ailments, etc, are growing alarmingly in Goa.
The challenges before Goa are immense. Should we allow pollution to kill us as poisoned rats? Let us be real and understand that dancing during carnivals, shigmos and other festivals is just a disgusting way to keep off from the imminent dangers. The time for Maka kiteak podlam is long over, as poisoned Goa is threatening each one of us personally.
